Last Saturday morning found me fifteen feet up in a treestand.  And though I wasn’t exactly sure at the time, it was the only time I would be able to hunt the entire weekend.

After a few hours in stand, my phone started to ring.  Not knowing who could be on the other end, I made the necessary movements to answer the phone, only for it to be Jeff telling me that a few does were headed my way.  As he conveyed the information to me over the phone, and as I turned to look behind the stand, two of the does already had me in view and decided it was time to head the other way.

Thanks, Jeff.  And that is pretty much the story of my hunting life lately.

Popularity: 1% [?]

With the new little one in the homestretch, and the buck activity picking up a notch in our neck of the woods, I did manage to sneak out hunting for a few hours on Saturday morning.

To start, the weather was perfect – low thirties, hardly any wind, and a little overcast. Soon, though, I was swearing at the weatherman from my treestand, as I could see that his prediction for a 10% chance of rain was a little off; it was getting darker and darker by the minute, and I knew that, in just a little while, I was going to be very happy that I was wearing my StormKloth II.

Popularity: 1% [?]

While Jeff was sitting in the midst of some chasing action this morning, and while the weather has been perfect for hunting, Arthur’s hunting is on hold.  Quite honestly, it’s hard for me to even think about hunting.

Last Tuesday, the 18th, our second edition to the family, who wasn’t supposed to arrive until December 5th, made her grand entrance six weeks early.

Little Mia is doing well, though she’s still sitting in an intensive unit in a local hospital.  She’s improving every day, and we hope to have her home soon, but – until then – my hunting time will be spent driving back and forth to the hospital, and spending time with her big sister.

I may be able to sneak out for a few morning hunts this weekend, but it all depends.   It just depends on how things go this week, and on whether I need to catch up on any sleep.

And I’m totally not complaining about not being able to hunt, so please don’t think that.  At this point in time, I’m thankful that Mia and mommy are doing well, and thanking God every day for watching over Mia as she continues her journey for home.

Hunting will just have to wait – and I’m completely fine with that.

Popularity: 1% [?]

I’ve always said that I wouldn’t pressure Abby into any of my outdoor pursuits.  My plan has always been to introduce her to my outdoor pursuits gradually, and let her make up her own mind as to whether she wants to hunt or fish, etc.  I’ve never wanted to pressure her into any of the outdoor activities that I’m involved in, and I truly practiced what I preach this past weekend.

As many of you have read, we’re lucky and privileged, because Abby’s Grandma and Papa have a little 10 acre piece of heaven not very far from us.  This property is a perfect place to relax and have a bonfire; it’s a perfect place to fling a few arrows; it’s a perfect place to camp, if we choose; and it’s also a perfect place to have a little fishing pond, which I’ve written about on this blog many times.

As the weekend got closer, I envisioned Abby and I pulling in a few small gills from the  pond on the property.  I was very hopeful that we’d spend at least a half hour or so casting, waiting, and eventually reeling in some bluegills.  Of course, my plans and her plans were slightly different – she was more interested in playing in the grass, running up and down the hills, and playing in the sand, rather than fishing – but it ended up opening my eyes to something else, which I hadn’t been paying much attention to:  Abby didn’t really want to fish, but her little cousin, Benji, certainly did.

Popularity: 1% [?]

It was inevitable, really.  Growing up in this family, it was only a matter of time before it happened; yet I was still surprised by the question.  She looked me right in the eye and asked, “Can I go hunting with you, daddy?”

Though I knew this day would come, I honestly didn’t think it would come so soon.  I obviously didn’t discourage her though, and told her I would love for her to go hunting with me; told her that she could go out in the woods with me, sit and watch for deer with me, eat snacks with me, and talk with me about whatever she wanted to.  I told her about how we could spend time together, about the animals we’d see, and about how much fun we’d have.

It was a great moment, because I think she was genuinely interested.

As I walked out the door that morning, and was met by the early morning breeze, thoughts of hunting smacked me right in the face, so I casually mentioned it to her as we headed to the car.  But she didn’t ask the question until about ten minutes later; she must’ve really been processing my observation from earlier, and it just took time for the question to come.  She was genuinely curious about the whole hunting process, and that was music to my ears.

Popularity: 1% [?]